


Where He Should Be

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Choices, Confessions, Episode Fix-it, Episode: s08e09 Best Friend Magic, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Past Matthew Casey/Gabriela Dawson - Freeform, Season/Series 08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:14:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21609637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: He stands there, the glass of wine in his hand, and his eyes on Gabby. She smiles at him. A familiar smile that always used to send his body aching, and wanting to be closer to her. There’s a tug there, but it’s not strong. Not like it used to be. More like a memory. A slight trace of who they used to be.But that’s not who they are anymore. Matt knows that.Or the one where instead of leaving with Gabby, Matt tells her he's moved on and gets the closure he needs to be with Sylvie.
Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 15
Kudos: 132





	Where He Should Be

**Author's Note:**

> This episode just needed a fix it, so here I am, doing my best. And still hoping one day Brettsey will become canon.

He stands there, the glass of wine in his hand, and his eyes on Gabby. She smiles at him. A familiar smile that always used to send his body aching, and wanting to be closer to her. There’s a tug there, but it’s not strong. Not like it used to be. More like a memory. A slight trace of who they used to be. 

But that’s not who they are anymore. Matt knows that. 

It would be easy to walk the short distance towards her. To hand her the glass and get swept up in all of this. To just for one night forget everything else and be together. 

But there’s always an after. Tomorrow she’ll be leaving, and Matt will still be here. He’ll have to pick up the pieces and move on like he had before. 

And he has moved on. It wasn’t easy at first, but he’s been doing a damn good job of it. Sure, there’s still an ache from the things he’s lost, there probably always will be, but he has been happier. He has a good thing here. 

A pair of blue eyes flash across his mind, a shock of blond hair, and a bright smile. 

No. He can’t do this tonight. Not when it would mean taking a step backwards and away from where he wants to be. 

He can see Gabby’s smile starting to waver, and knows she must see his resolve strengthening. It’s her that takes the steps towards him. She stops a few feet away, and gives him a small smile. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

Matt nods, and holds out the glass of wine towards her. “I am. I’m sorry, Gabby. I just…”

“You’ve moved on,” she says. She takes the glass from him but makes no move to drink from it. “It’s okay, Matt. I knew it would happen eventually. I just wanted one last night. A goodbye.”

“We can say our goodbyes without having sex, Gabby.”

“I know. Of course. That’s not what I…” she pauses, and gives him a wry smile. “We were good though, weren’t we?”

“We were,” Matt agrees. For a while they were. Things changed. “But we’re not those people anymore.”

Matt’s not sure he wants to be that guy anymore. Not that he says that. Gabby probably knows.

“I hope she makes you happy,” Gabby says. She doesn’t ask who it is, which surprises Matt. He knows she must be curious.

“She does,” Matt says. “I mean, we’re not together yet. I just…”

“I know,” she says. “I know you came because she told you that you should.”

Matt frowns, “You do? But…” he blinks, realization washing over him. She hadn’t asked who it was, because she knows. Of course she does. “When did you figure it out?”

“About you and Brett?” Gabby laughs. “I just had to look at the two of you. And she was kind of evasive when I talked to her. Shifty. I could practically see the guilt on her face. Which is why I told her it was okay.”

“Now I’m confused,” Matt says. “Why do all of this if you knew? If you’d already given Brett your blessing?”

“I knew you were still holding back,” she tells him. “I was hoping you’d get your head out of your ass and just admit it. It took a bit, but you got there.”

“So you weren’t interested?”

She brings her glass of wine up to her lips, but Matt can still see her smiling before she takes a sip. “No,” she says, lowering her glass. “I’m not. I’m actually seeing someone.”

“Huh.” Matt’s brain is still processing everything he’s been told over the past few minutes. Tonight has definitely been interesting. “What?” he asks when Gabby raises an eyebrow at him.

“What are you still doing here?” Gabby asks. “Brett’s probably at least halfway into a pint of ice cream and Titanic by now. Get your ass out of here.”

“Yeah. Yeah. I should…” He’s started to turn away from her, when it hits him he doesn’t know the next time he’ll see her. Whether they’re together or not, she was still an important part of his life. “It really was good to see you, Gabby.”

“You too,” she says. She steps forward and gives him a one armed hug. “Now go get your girl.”

Matt doesn’t need to be told again. He’s already wasted enough time.

* * *

Sylvie answers the door on the third knock. She’s dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a tank top, with her hair messily pulled back into a bun. Matt thinks she looks gorgeous. 

“You came,” she says, sounding surprised.”

“Did you not want me to?” he asks.

“No. No! I did. Absolutely. I…” she moves back and opens the door further for him. “Come in.”

Matt walks inside, watching as she closes the door before moving further into the apartment. She doesn’t sit down, and neither does he. 

“Party wasn’t all you expected it to be?” she asks him.

“I got what I needed,” Matt says.

She nods, and turns her head away. “Good.”

Now that Matt’s here, he’s not sure what he’s supposed to say. It had seemed easy on the ride over. Show up. Tell Sylvie how he feels. And the rest would fall into place. He’s shown up. The second part of the plan doesn’t seem as easy now with her standing in front of him. It’s actually pretty terrifying.

“Why did you tell me to go?” Matt asks her.

“I thought you needed to,” Sylvie says. 

“I did,” Matt says. “But not because I want to be with her. That’s over, Sylvie. She’s not the one I want to be with. Not anymore.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” she says, finally meet his gaze.

“Don’t I?” Matt asks. “Gabby said she talked to you. About us.”

“She did give me her blessing,” Sylvie says, leaning back against the wall. “But I still wasn’t sure about you.”

“What about me?” Matt asks, stepping closer. Her eyes track his movement.

“How you felt,” Sylvie says. “I mean, there have been moments where I’d catch you looking at me and I would think you felt the same way. Hoped you did. But you never said anything…”

“Neither did you,” Matt says. “But I think I know why.”

“You do?”

Matt nods. He stops in front of her. Close enough that he’d just have to reach out and he’d be touching her. He doesn’t. Not yet. “Yeah, I do. Gabby said you looked guilty when you saw her. Like maybe you felt like you shouldn’t be having these feelings.”

Sylvie sighs, “Yeah. It was easier without her here to just tell myself that she left, and that it would be okay. I know that sounds selfish but…”

“It doesn’t,” Matt says. “I was doing the same thing, but there was a part of me that was still holding back. Even as I was moving on. I _have_ moved on. That’s exactly what I told her tonight.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.” Matt reaches out and takes her hand. Both their eyes drift down, watching as he laces his fingers with hers. When their eyes meet again, Matt smiles. “I needed that closure. I think you did too.”

“I did,” Sylvie says. “I didn’t realize how much until I talked to Gabby, and then I just felt… relieved. Free. If that makes sense.”

“It does,” Matt says. He steps closer. There’s almost no distance between them now. He looks down into her blue eyes and smiles. “I feel the same way.”

Her chest rises and falls as she takes a deep breath, then nods. “Good.”

They stare at each other for a moment, eyes moving across the other’s face. Matt brings the hand not holding hers up to her face. He brushes a loose strand of hair back from her forehead, before resting it against her cheek. “Sylvie…”

“Damn it, Matt. Just kiss me already.”

Matt chuckles and shakes his head, "Someone's bossy."

"Matt," Sylvie pleads. 

"Hey, you're a strong, independent woman. You're just as capable of…"

He never gets to finish his sentence, not that he minds. Not when at that moment Sylvie leans up and kisses him. It's soft and slow, as if their lips are taking their time to get to know each other in ways that before now they only imagined. 

Them being Matt and Sylvie. Not their lips. If their lips could think Matt would be a little afraid. 

Sylvie pulls back to look at him, her brow furrowed in concern. "Where'd your head go?"

"I just started thinking about how weird it would be if lips could think," Matt says. 

"Oh." Sylvie smiles, her lips pulling up into an amused smile. She leans in closer, her warm breath blowing across his lips and making him shiver. "Do you know what my lips would be thinking right now?"

"What?"

"That they really want to kiss yours again," she murmurs. Her hand moves slowly down his back. "They'd also like to get to know other parts of you."

Matt doesn't care how strange this conversation has gotten. Desire pulls low in his gut, and he kisses her again, deeper this time. "I'd like that too."

She grins against his lips and pushes at his chest. When he frowns and steps back, she laughs. "Relax. I'm not kicking you out. In fact," she takes his hand and starts walking backwards towards her bedroom, "if you want, I'd like you to stay over."

"Oh I definitely want to," Matt tells her. 

As they fall onto the bed, Sylvie's laughter filling the room when Matt almost knocks over a lamp as he tries to take off his shirt, he knows with certainty this is where he should be.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments make my day ♥  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


End file.
